Barcelona set to shed ties with Setien
Reports suggest that the Barcelona board is unhappy with the results that Setien has brought in since he replaced Ernesto Valverde in January.
Barcelona might shed all their ties with current boss Quique Setien unless he manages to guide the Catalan club to a trophy this season, according to various reports.
Reports suggest that the Barcelona board is not satisfied with the results that Setien has brought in since he replaced Ernesto Valverde in January. Barcelona were top of the table at the time of Setien's appointment, but sluggish performances and bad results have seen Real Madrid topple them at the top of La Liga.
Also, rumours are that players are dismissive of Setien's assistant Eder Sarabia and Setien has lost control over the dressing room. A video has been circulating in social media showing Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi ignore Sarabia while he was trying to provide Messi with some suggestions. The reports also suggest that the players have lost faith in his tactics and the two parties had a big face-off after the Catalan club's recent draw at Celta Vigo.
Setien had signed a two-and-half-year deal with Barcelona with supposedly an option to cancel the contract after every season. Barcelona's primary target was club legend Xavi Hernandez, who is currently the manager of Qatari club Al-Sadd but he was not interested in joining the club under the current rule. The board still wants Xavi but it is likely that the reigns will be handed to Barcelona youth coach Garcia Pimienta.
Barcelona are already in deep waters with their financial crisis as they have a fragile wage structure. Also, the club has already been criticised for their most recent swap deal with Juventus, which would see 23-year old Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo move to Turin for 70 million Euros and 30-year old midfielder Miralem Pjanic move the other way for 60 million Euros. Both the players have passed their medical examinations and the deals are set to be announced soon.